Sensitive to stimulants

Hello, I have used many years supplements and pre workouts with caffeine, stimulants, etc without a problem but now I have become sensitive to this type of products. My question is if nitric oxide precursors and endurance related products like anafuse, anabeta, follidrone and mass max xt may cause anxiety or palpitations. Thanks

I have not tried any of them yet. I was researching before buying them. My blood pressure is actually low. I was suspicious about the supplements containing epicatechin since it's are a synthetic concentration of a compound found in coffee, cocoa, green tea, etc. Laxogenin also states that helps you with energy and endurance which made me also wonder about if it could have any stim because they are vasodilators.

Epicatechin and laxogenin are vasodilators, these compounds dilate blood vessels, resulting in a decrease in blood pressure. As the baroreceptors detect this, they command the autonomic nervous system to increase adrenaline output. This, in turn, increases heart rate and cardiac irritability.

Just going to share this here - because I BELIEVE it happened to me, but I can't be sure and no one ever talks about it. I've always been pretty tolerant of stimulants. By tolerant I mean that I could drop a full gram of caffeine with barely any effects, and even go to sleep after. This was not from abuse of stimulants - as I actually am not all that fond of the way being over-stimulated feels. I don't look for stims at all really.

Over the last 6 months or so I've been taking large doses (10-20k iu/day) of Vitamin D. I am NOT recommending anyone emulate this. But suddenly one day I noticed that, suddenly, a strong cup of coffee started giving me a buzz. And now I am noting that if I drink coffee past 4 PM, there is a chance I will deal with some insomnia that night.

Now, this is n=1 and the Vitamin D may have nothing to do with it. But it was also the major change in my routine at the time. I am wondering - have you maybe started taking a supplement with more vitamin D?

Having said that - yes, NO supplements may cause palpitations and increased heart rate. Normally, things like agmatine, have a relaxing effect and may help treat anxiety - but things don't always work as planned when thrown into different bodily environments.

As others have said - you should check your BP. One thing that you may not be expecting is that NO causes dilation of the blood vessels, which can decrease BP. If you're already on BP medications, or even just a large dose of NO, you can develop low blood pressure which may make you feel light headed, dizzy, and cause heart palpitations. A normal response to this could be anxiety.

Another issue is that mixing forskolin (which can inhibit PDE) with an NO product like arginine or agmatine will increase the effects of the NO product because it makes it harder to break down. Normally this isn't an issue, especially at the doses typically recommended - but if you're taking a big dose of a few different NO ingredients and mixing it with a dose on the upper end of forskolin, it could be noticeable.

Another possibility - dehydration or electrolyte imbalance. Having water and electrolytes out of whack can really cause some strange issues that you wouldn't expect - especially the mental manifestations. If you have ever seen an elderly person who stops drinking and eating - they sometimes get diagnosed with dementia because electrolytes that are out of whack and dehydration can cause almost the exact same symptoms. It can be scary - but heat palpitations, anxiety, etc. - could all go with it.

And finally - low blood sugar? Have you tried eating when this happens? A lot of those products contain ingredients that will increase glucose uptake and decrease blood sugar levels, at least in theory. Combining them and not having enough energy in your system could cause you to crash. Increasing NO, I believe, will also improve glucose partitioning...contributing to the issue.

I have not tried any of them yet. I was researching before buying them. My blood pressure is actually low. I was suspicious about the supplements containing epicatechin since it's are a synthetic concentration of a compound found in coffee, cocoa, green tea, etc. Laxogenin also states that helps you with energy and endurance which made me also wonder about if it could have any stim because they are vasodilators.

Originally Posted by Azov

Epicatechin and laxogenin are vasodilators, these compounds dilate blood vessels, resulting in a decrease in blood pressure. As the baroreceptors detect this, they command the autonomic nervous system to increase adrenaline output. This, in turn, increases heart rate and cardiac irritability.

OK, so, I missed these two responses before making mine - if your blood pressure is low, I would monitor it whenever taking NO products. How low are you typically? Is it low because of any medication, etc.?

I was under the impression you were having the problem and were trying to figure out the cause. None of those products have a direct stimulant base to them and I do not believe they would act as a stimulant in the way you describe. To be clear, I have no medical training and to cover myself you should ask your doctor and you should always go slow when introducing new supplements.

[QUOTE=HIT4ME;5970806]Just going to share this here - because I BELIEVE it happened to me, but I can't be sure and no one ever talks about it. I've always been pretty tolerant of stimulants. By tolerant I mean that I could drop a full gram of caffeine with barely any effects, and even go to sleep after. This was not from abuse of stimulants - as I actually am not all that fond of the way being over-stimulated feels. I don't look for stims at all really.

Over the last 6 months or so I've been taking large doses (10-20k iu/day) of Vitamin D. I am NOT recommending anyone emulate this. But suddenly one day I noticed that, suddenly, a strong cup of coffee started giving me a buzz. And now I am noting that if I drink coffee past 4 PM, there is a chance I will deal with some insomnia that night.

Now, this is n=1 and the Vitamin D may have nothing to do with it. But it was also the major change in my routine at the time. I am wondering - have you maybe started taking a supplement with more vitamin D?

Having said that - yes, NO supplements may cause palpitations and increased heart rate. Normally, things like agmatine, have a relaxing effect and may help treat anxiety - but things don't always work as planned when thrown into different bodily environments.

As others have said - you should check your BP. One thing that you may not be expecting is that NO causes dilation of the blood vessels, which can decrease BP. If you're already on BP medications, or even just a large dose of NO, you can develop low blood pressure which may make you feel light headed, dizzy, and cause heart palpitations. A normal response to this could be anxiety.

Another issue is that mixing forskolin (which can inhibit PDE) with an NO product like arginine or agmatine will increase the effects of the NO product because it makes it harder to break down. Normally this isn't an issue, especially at the doses typically recommended - but if you're taking a big dose of a few different NO ingredients and mixing it with a dose on the upper end of forskolin, it could be noticeable.

Another possibility - dehydration or electrolyte imbalance. Having water and electrolytes out of whack can really cause some strange issues that you wouldn't expect - especially the mental manifestations. If you have ever seen an elderly person who stops drinking and eating - they sometimes get diagnosed with dementia because electrolytes that are out of whack and dehydration can cause almost the exact same symptoms. It can be scary - but heat palpitations, anxiety, etc. - could all go with it.

And finally - low blood sugar? Have you tried eating when this happens? A lot of those products contain ingredients that will increase glucose uptake and decrease blood sugar levels, at least in theory. Combining them and not having enough energy in your system could cause you to crash. Increasing NO, I believe, will also improve glucose partitioning...contributing to the issue.

I actually took additional Vitamin D3 for a while and tyrosine a while ago and they actually also affected me somehow. I have just natural blood pressure but according to my doctor it's a good thing and my heart is healthy, just have anxiety issues. That's all. Thanks

I actually took additional Vitamin D3 for a while and tyrosine a while ago and they actually also affected me somehow. I have just natural blood pressure but according to my doctor it's a good thing and my heart is healthy, just have anxiety issues. That's all. Thanks

I know in the case of my ex-partner that stims can cause her anxiety to flare up on some days and not others. If you are an anxiety sufferer, I would stay away or limit your exposure until you can get it sorted.